skip to main content
United Rugby Championship logo

Leinster run riot against Zebre to secure top seed for URC play-offs

Updated / Saturday, 10 May 2025 20:15
Jordie Barrett scored twice and was named player of the match
Jordie Barrett scored twice and was named player of the match

Leinster secured top spot in the BKT United Rugby Championship with a routine victory over Zebre Parma at Aviva Stadium.

Leo Cullen's men scored 12 tries against the Italians, guaranteeing first seed and a home run in the play-offs as long as they stay in the competition.

Beaten by Northampton Saints in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final at the same venue last Satuday, Cullen had spoken about a "horrific" week as they raked over the coals of defeat.

They were never tested by the visitors, who were, alongside bottom club Dragons, the only other side out of the race for the play-offs before round 17.

Cullen had named a strong team, with six members of Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions squad starting and three more, including fit-again lock James Ryan, on the bench.

On a perfect day for rugby in front of a crowd of 14,681, Leinster wasted no time putting the game to bed, and scored five tries in the opening half an hour.

Their opening two scores came from distance with Rónan Kelleher getting on the end of Jack Conan’s offload after the number 8 had galloped past a number of defenders.

Moments later, Josh van der Flier slipped off a poor tackle out wide before feeding Luke McGrath for a run-in.

Zebre, who had lost all 18 previous meetings with Leinster, enjoyed a spell of pressure thereafter, but out-half Giovanni Montemauri put down Simone Gesi’s inside pass when a try for there for the taking

Ryan Baird was on hand to barge over after a lineout maul was stopped short as the hosts went through the gears.

Sam Prendergast then combined with centres Garry Ringrose and Jordie Barrett to send the Kiwi in for the bonus-point try in the 31st minute.

The New Zealander, controversially left out of the starting XV last weekend, added a second a few minutes later, powering over from close range.

The game was becoming more like a training session and James Lowe finished off the half with a canter into the corner after fast hands from Jimmy O’Brien and Jamie Osborne, and Leinster went in with a 38-0 lead.

The visitors, who had won five and drawn once this season, started the second half brightly but Leinster ran the ball from deep after a knock on and O'Brien broke the line on halfway before Barrett unselfishly fed Prendergast to score under the posts.

Van der Flier ran in an eighth try soon after and Cullen made seven changes in the 50th minute.

It was becoming all too easy and Barrett, named played of the match, found Osborne with a perfectly judged cross-kick for their next score in the corner.

Replacement Ciaran Frawley evaded three poor tackle attempts to add another minutes later.

Eventually the Italians breached the Leinster line with Pumas scrum-half Gonzalo Garcia scrambling over with 14 minutes left.

Replacement back row James Culhane got his name on the scoresheet with a run-in with five minutes to play, with Osborne finishing off the scoring with Leinster's 12th in overtime.

Leinster host Glasgow in their final regular-season game next weekend and then prepare for what they hope will be a run all the way to the final where they’ll look for a first URC title win since 2021.

SCORERS:

Leinster
Tries: Kelleher, McGrath, Baird, Barrett (2), Lowe, Prendergast, Van der Flier, Osborne (2), Frawley, Culhane.
Cons: Prendergast (6), Frawley (2)

Zebre
Try: Gacia

Leinster: Jamie Osborne; Jimmy O'Brien, Garry Ringrose, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Luke McGrath; Jack Boyle, Rónan Kelleher, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, Diarmuid Mangan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt).

Replacements: John McKee (for Kelleher 50), Andrew Porter (Boyle 50), Rabah Slimani (Clarkson 50), James Ryan (McCarthy 50), James Culhane (Van der Flier 50), Jamison Gibson-Park (McGrath 29-35 and 66), Ciarán Frawley (Prendergast 50), Robbie Henshaw (Ringrose 50).

Zebre Parma: Jacopo Trulla; Scott Gregory, Fetuli Paea, Enrico Lucchin, Simone Gesi; Giovanni Montemauri, Gonzalo Garcia; Luca Franceschetto, Giampietro Ribaldi, Juan Pitinari; Rusiate Nasove, Leonard Krumov; Bautista Stavile, Iacopo Bianchi, Davide Ruggeri (capt).

Replacements: Tommaso Di Bartolomeo (Ribaldi 47), Muhamed Hasa (Franceschetto 29), Ion Neculai (Juan Pitinari 62), Matteo Canali (Nasove 59), Giacomo Ferrari (Ruggeri 70), Alessandro Fusco (Trulla 54), Giacomo Da Re (Montemauri 54), Filippo Drago (Stavile 70).

Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU)

More stories on

Read Next